


A Change in Nature

by WolfenM



Category: Maleficent (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst, Depression, DiaMal, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Master/Servant, Movie Tag, Movie: Maleficent (2014), Movie: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, POV Alternating, POV Diaval (Disney), POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Past Sexual Assault, Pining, Post-Movie: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Post-movie tag, Romance, Shapeshifting, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Transformation, servant to equal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 11:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21117956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfenM/pseuds/WolfenM
Summary: Diaval wonders if he still has a place in Maleficent's life. (Spoilers forMaleficent: Mistress of Evil.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Maleficent, Diaval, Aurora, Phillip, Borra, and Prince John all © Walt Disney Entertainment. Not done with permission, and no profit is being made.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> S  
P  
O  
I  
L  
E  
R  
S
> 
> I had been frustrated by the lack of Diaval in the final scene, and even though I have a ton of other things to do, he wouldn't leave me alone till I made it right. *EDIT* I LOVED though movie otherwise, though, so please don't come at me railing against it, and thus raining on my parade, LOL! I'm sorry if you didn't like it, but take it elsewhere ....
> 
> My review of the film, at Sequential Tart: <http://www.sequentialtart.com/reports.php?ID=11556>

"Diaval?" 

He didn't jump at Maleficent's touch -- they were so closely bound, with her changing his shape at her slightest whim, he always knew when she was around. Besides, despite how harrowing the past few days had been, this night, following the wedding of Aurora and Phillip, was full of joy -- he was too content to be ruffled by anything. He was even _enjoying_ being human right now -- he liked dancing, and his mistress had actually indulged him a few times this evening, as had Aurora and a few of the Dark Fey. He turned with an easy smile, her words -- "I missed you" -- still echoing pleasantly in his ears. 

And then it all came crashing down. 

"I'm going away for a while, to help my peoples settle across the world, and I want you to look after Aurora while I'm gone." 

"Aurora? But she has Phillip and an army of servants to look after her -- she won't need me!" he protested. And what about Maleficent -- wouldn't _she_ need him? 

Maybe she wouldn't, now that there was an army of Fey at her beck and call. 

Maleficent shook her head. "I don't trust that all the humans here are over their fear of the faeries already. For that matter, there may be faeries who are still angry over our losses in the battle. Phillip has split loyalties; I want someone _entirely_ loyal to _me_, someone I can trust wholly and know to be entirely competent, at her side." 

That warmed him, but still, he didn't like the idea of a prolonged separation at all. Besides, "I can't change back and forth when you're not around, though -- surely I won't be much use as a bird!" And he was _not_ wanting to be stuck as a human again, unable to fly! 

"About that ... I have an idea." She stepped close, laying both hands on his shoulders, closing her eyes; for a moment, he thought she might kiss him, his heart suddenly racing. Instead, she just stood there, and a moment later, that strange warmth, the one he always felt when she changed him, spread from her hands and through the rest of his body. 

But when she stepped back, opening her eyes, he hadn't changed (save for feeling oddly cold and disappointed by the absence of her touch). 

"Now. Imagine yourself becoming your raven form." 

That was easy enough -- and suddenly, he was himself again, flapping his wings to hover before her. 

She grinned that smile that, even with the fangs, made him melt inside. "Perfect! Conall--" (who was that, he wondered) "--told me that, as a phoenix, I have powers of creation. So I thought, if I can shape you into different things, why can't I shape you into a shapeshifter -- someone who can change his form at his own whim? And there you are! Oh, but let's make sure you can change _back_ into a human. Give it a try." 

He did -- and it worked, to her obvious great delight. It certainly was wonderful to be able to change when _he_ wanted to -- so why did he suddenly feel profoundly _sad_ that she wouldn't be the one to change him anymore? 

He kept it from his face, though, as he thanked her, not wanting her to think he wasn't really grateful for her thoughtfulness. It was _good_ that she was giving him this freedom, wasn't it? Didn't it mean she was growing as a person? He wouldn't discourage that for all the world! 

"So how long will you be gone?" he asked, trying his best to act casual as they began to dance again. 

She shrugged. "A few months, maybe? I expect to be back in time for Aurora's baby's christening." 

His heart sank. "You do know it takes a baby about _nine moons_ to grow, right? And then probably another three moons or more after the birth for them to actually have the christening? And we don't even know if she's with child yet!" He tried to laugh -- surely she wouldn't be gone _that_ long? 

She pursed her lips, looking skyward in thought. "It might be close, but if I have to leave wherever I end up at that point early to make it back in time, I shall. It's not like I can't go back out again after!" 

He stumbled a little, quickly apologising. He swallowed hard, and put the brittle smile back on. A _year_ \-- and she might not even be done with her mission after? 

Would she move out with the Dark Fey for good, but expect him to stay with Aurora? 

He told himself to relax. She couldn't stay away from her beloved Aurora forever! Even if she didn't stay in the castle at Ulstead, she wouldn't live farther away than the moors! And as Queen of the Moors, Aurora was sure to visit now and then, maybe even spend a few moons a year at her old castle there. 

Yes, everything would be fine. 

//"\\\ 

Maleficent didn't leave Ulstead immediately -- there were repairs to be done, and plans to be made -- but when not with Aurora, she spent nearly all her time with the Dark Fey, where he felt strangely out of place. He started out flying with her, but the Fey children were often clumsy fliers, and after he'd been nearly knocked out of the sky a few times, he either flew behind at a sizable distance, or simply perched on a tree or rock and watched, feeling weighed down with a sense of loneliness like he'd never known. (As he watched, he committed every graceful motion of her wings to memory, as if those same memories wouldn't pain him when she was gone.) Most of the time, he wasn't sure she even knew he was there -- or cared one way or the other. Even on the sunniest days, he was starting to feel like clouds as dark as his own feathers hung over him, constantly. 

When had he fallen in love with her? 

_Why_ had he? He knew better than most how volatile her temper could be (not that she had ever actually hurt him). She didn't grasp consent (but to be fair, he _had_ said "Whatever you need," and sworn his unending devotion to her). She had a malicious sense of humour. She was terrible! 

Terribly powerful. Terribly beautiful. And terribly loving, no matter how much it might be hidden behind sharp thorns walls, sharp cheekbones, and even sharper words. He already knew the love was there; he didn't need to see it all the time in order to believe it. 

But he had thought he would at least see _her_ nearly every day of his life. Well, she'd said she'd missed him after only three days apart; maybe she wouldn't be able to _bear_ being apart much longer than that? 

Provided some Fey man didn't fill whatever void the separation from Diaval left in the meantime. 

Some Fey man like Borra, the sight of whom was getting to be awfully common. 

Diaval tried not to seem too eager when Maleficent summoned him one day. He told himself that the Fey were _not_ staring at him in disdain as she asked his thoughts on the communication system they were setting up. It was actually something akin to what the Fey had apparently used to keep in touch in ages gone, when they had once covered the Earth: reflecting pools, scrying bowls, and silver-backed mirrors -- anything with a reflective surface. Knowing that he and Maleficent both would have such devices (her, a hand-held mirror; him, the large looking-glass in the tower room they currently shared), and so he could contact her immediately, put him somewhat at ease -- especially when he convinced her that he should give her a report evey morning. 

He would get through this. He would see her every day in the mirror, and he would be with Aurora and his other faerie friends, so he wouldn't be alone. 

But after Maleficent left, he quickly found that talking through a mirror was no substitute for being in the same room ... and that not being alone wasn't the same as not being lonely. 

//"\\\ 

Diaval was perched on a tree branch, watching a group of young Fey and human children play together in the castle gardens, when a group of human youths approached. Diaval tensed, preparing to hop down from the branch -- and his instincts proved worth listening to, as one of the youths reached out and plucked a feather from a wing, the whole gang guffawing when the Fey cried out in pain. 

Diaval took on his human form, and strode menacingly towards the brat. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" 

The adolescent swallowed hard, but stayed his ground, raising his chin. "They gotta learn their place! This is _our_ kingdom!" 

"Their people were here long before yours," Diaval countered. "Do you still have your house? Your personal land? Your clothes, your food?" 

"Yes," the lad answered warily. 

"Have your people's fields not prospered since they arrived?" 

"They have," a girl in the gang answered, having the grace to seem ashamed. 

"_Then what are you complaining about?_" Diaval hissed. 

"My father was _killed_ by one of those _monsters!_" the lad snapped. 

That gave Diaval pause, as he felt a pang of sympathy. But still, "And I'm sorry for your loss. But your former queen led hundreds of innocent faeries into traps and brutally murdered them -- including Conall, the peace-loving leader of the Fey, who died protecting Maleficent as she investigated the desecration of faerie graves. And yet, as Ingrith was but one person, and not all humanity, the Fey have not murdered you all in turn, in retaliation, have they? Indeed, even Ingrith was spared. And yet you would harm a _child?_ What good does it serve anyone for the survivors of that battle to continue it? Will it raise the fallen?" 

The lad ducked his head. "No," he admitted. 

"Then turn your rage where it belongs: towards Ingrith, who led your people into an unjust war." Then he got an idea. "Which is better: having enemies, or having friends?" 

The youths glanced at each other, then chorused, "Friends." 

"That's right. Now, I know the new can seem scary. But the Fey are a people with lives, with families and friends who love them, just like you. There may _look_ very different, but there are differences amongst your own fellows here, are there not? That one has darker skin; that one has green eyes; that one has red hair. You can find a lot of differences between you and your friends here if you look for them, yes? So try to be as willing to find the similarities between you and the Fey as you are to finding similarities amongst those already your friends, and you'll find your number of friends increase -- and your population of enemies dwindle." 

The lad looked at the feather in his hand, then to the Fey he stole it from. "I'm sorry. Can I put it back?" 

The Fey child wiped a tear and shook her head. "It's like a hair -- once plucked, it can't go back in." 

"Then I'm doubly sorry. Uh, here, are you hungry?" The boy took an apple out of his pocket. 

The Fey girl eyed it warily. 

"It's all right, Sana," came a voice from just behind Diaval; the raven just barely kept from jumping out of his human skin, back into raven-shape. 

It was Borra. (Diaval was surprised to see him, thinking the Dark Fey man had left with Maleficent.) 

The human children seemed torn between wanting to run, and fear rooting them to the spot. 

"Papa!" Sana ran into Borra's arms. 

_Papa??_

Borra picked her up, careful of her wings, and brought her over to the boy, who stared at the pair with new eyes, clearly seeing now how the Fey girl was like himself: a child who loved a parent. He held the apple out in one hand, and the feather in the other; Sana took the apple. 

"Keep the feather," Borra said. "May you remember this day -- I know we will. And I am truly sorry for your loss." 

The boy gave a hesitant bow. "A-and I for yours." 

Borra gave a small, tight smile, his eyes haunted. "We have a custom amongst our people, where we gather and share memories of our dead -- we should hold such a gathering for both our peoples together, so we might learn what we lost at one another's hands." 

"I'll talk to Aurora about it," Diaval offered. 

"Thank you, friend," Borra nodded. "For now, children ... play!" And he set Sana down. 

She immediately ran to the boy and took his hand. "Come! I will teach you the game, so you can play with us!" The rest of the children followed suit, leaving Diaval and Borra alone. 

"It's strange to think that, just a month ago, I would have torn that boy's throat out," Borra remarked quietly. 

"Why _didn't_ you?" Diaval wondered. 

"I saw you step in, and wanted to see what you would do. Maleficent speaks very highly of you, raven--" 

"She does?" Diaval squawked. 

Borra nodded. "I see that the praise is well-deserved. You are very wise, and very compassionate. Once upon a time, I would have thought such compassion for humans to be foolish, but ...." He gestured to the garden, full of Fey and humans playing, human structures comingling with faerie growth. "As you said, it's better to have friends than enemies." 

They stood in companionable silence for a while. Then, "I thought you would fly off with Maleficent," Diaval remarked. 

"Well, this land is where my clan once dwelled, so my mate and I decided to stay." 

At this confirmation that Borra indeed had a mate, not just a child, Diaval felt something in him ease. 

"Would you sup with us tonight?" Borra then asked. 

"Me?" Diaval did _not_ like how squeaky his voice was today. 

Borra nodded. "You did us a favour; it's the least we could do. Besides, I want to get to know the bird who means so much to the new ruler of the Fey. For all she speaks of you, we have not _seen_ much of you." 

_She **speaks** of me? **Often**?_ Diaval felt his cheeks heat -- always a disconcerting sensation. "Er, I didn't want to be underfoot as you all decided on your future." 

Borra's brow furrowed in confusion. "But you are her most treasured confidant!" 

"And just a raven, not a Fey," Diaval pointed out. 

Borra shrugged. "What difference does _that_ make? Especially to a _shapeshifter?_ I think you'd be quite handsome with horns!" he added with a grin. 

Diaval suddenly found himself wondering how, indeed, he might look with horns. But how could he ask Maleficent to shape him that way? Would she be offended at his audacity? Or worse, _laugh_ at him? He couldn't bear that .... 

//"\\\ 

Diaval found himself spending as much time with Borra and the remaining Fey, learning about their kind, as with Aurora and Phillip and the faeries. As Aurora grew rounder with child (or rather, children; twins, the doctors had told her), and found herself less mobile, he spent even more time keeping her company. And yet, he still missed Maleficent terribly. 

And then, he couldn't contact her for three days. 

By that third day, he stayed away from everyone, not being able to bear the constant question on everyone's lips: if he'd heard from his mistress yet. He aimlessly wandered the castle's halls and grounds, his mood as black as his feathers. 

He should have gone with her -- damn him for not having done so! Damn the Fey for not protecting her! Damn the humans for hurting her -- as they surely must have, else why hadn't he heard from her? 

He heard Arabella, Ingrith's nasty cat, growling behind him. Oh, he _so_ wasn't in the mood! He spun around, growling back -- and found himself on all fours, with a twitching tail, swiping at her with razor-sharp claws embedded in a furry paw. As Arabella ran off, he stared at paw, flexing and un-flexing, still not entirely believing the appendage was his own. 

He'd thought Maleficent had just given him the power to be human and back, not into _any_ animal he chose! 

He spent the rest of the day out in the woods, mimicking the shapes of every creature he came across. He didn't even have to become a raven again before becoming the next creature, changing from new species to new species with barely a pause. He was elated enough, for a while, to forget his sorrows. 

And then he wondered if Maleficent had known just how exactly the power she'd given him worked, or if she would be surprised and impressed ... which in turn reminded him that it had been three days since he'd spoken to her. He didn't even know if he would ever see her again! His joy evaporated. 

As he padded, once again a cat, back to his room in the castle's tallest tower, morose notions found a place to thrive in the dark void that his lost joy had left behind. He had thought of himself as 'Maleficent's devoted servant' for so long -- what would he do without her? What _was_ he without her? What was he, now that he apparently could have any form he wished? Now that he spent half his days as a human, doing human things? Was he even a raven anymore? 

Did he even care? 

Aurora nearly tripped over him as she rounded a corner. "Oh! ...." She peered at him. "_Diaval?_ Is that _you_?" 

He returned to his human form. "How did you know it was me?" he wondered. And then he realised: "Oh, the feathers!" All his forms had some vestige of them, like the scarlike markings on his human skin, or actual feathers scattered in the fur of his his bear form; he assumed the cat form was the same. 

"Feathers? Oh, no, it's too dark for me to be able to tell if you even had them. I just ... _knew_," she shrugged. "Just like I could pick you out from an unkindness of ravens. There's just something that screams _you_, no matter what shape you're in!" she smiled. "Just like Mother is Mother, whether she looks like a Fey or a phoenix!" 

_Well, **that's** certainly true_, he thought to himself. This revelation gave Diaval a little peace, knowing that, no matter his form, he would always be himself. 

But then again, didn't that make him an imposter? Looking like things but not really _being_ them?

In his tower chamber, he stood before the tall communication glass, debating a long while as to whether he should try what he had in mind. In the end, he decided there was no reason not to -- he had so many forms now, what was one more? And besides, wouldn't it be nice to have a new way to relate to Maleficent? A way to feel closer to her, even if it wasn't exactly real, but a form of pretend? 

Wouldn't it be nice to fly with her, and not feel so glaringly out of place, like a homeless peasant among royalty? 

He closed his eyes, held his breath, and thought of horns, sharp cheeks, pointed ears, and wings. 

He could feel the changes, knew when the transformation was complete, but suddenly was terrified to look. He kept his breath held until he was gasping for air, eyes flying open. 

This time, his breath stilled in awe. 

"Oh, Diaval, look at your beautiful self," he finally murmured, turning slowly, taking it all in with his new eyes -- now a practically glowing amber, instead of a dark brown. 

Even with the sharper cheeks and pointed ears, his face wasn't so very different from his human one -- but for the first time, he liked what he saw. He felt .... 

He felt like this was who he'd _actually_ always been inside, and now his outside finally reflected it. Not like an imposter at all. Maybe this was how the Dark Fey had begun? As actual birds, who had learned to change shape? It was strange to have this face with wings -- and to have both wings and _arms_ \-- but in a wonderful way. He couldn't wait to see the look on Maleficent's fa-- 

The realisation that she might never get to see him this way, that they might never fly together, hit him hard. He sank weakly to the floor, overwhelmed, tears burning those new eyes. 

He let the new form go, slipping back into the human body she had made for him -- the closest thing he could do now to touching her -- and sobbed himself to sleep on the cold stone floor. 

//"\\\ 

He didn't take his Fey form again -- or any other -- the next day, opting to stay in the guise she had made for him. He sat vigil by the looking glass, praying that he would suddenly see her face in it instead of his. He continued to drift in out of grief-exhausted sleep. 

At one point, he was awoken by a commotion from the gardens below. Uneasy, he hurried to his balcony and peered over it. 

There was a battle going on! 

Furious that anyone would try to shatter the hard-won peace of Ulstead, Diaval finally shifted back into his new Fey form and launched himself from the balcony, wings pulled in tight so that he sped towards the fighting. He unfurled his wings when he neared the ground, and dropped to his feet -- then immediately took on his bear form, and clobbered a human who was attacking Phillip. Without waiting to assess the damage, he moved on to a human who was hacking away with an axe at a young tree-faerie, then one attacking a young Fey -- Sana! After that, he transformed into a cat, then ran between the legs of another assailant and became a horse, bucking the man off before stomping on the enemy's head. On and on, Diaval went, changing from animal to animal, venting his grief into rage. When the battle was mostly over, he spotted one human racing from the scene with a blood-soaked blade. Transforming into the Fey form again, he flew after the man -- and let out a cry when a bolt of pain hit his back, shooting through him, following the path of an arrowhead as it sprang forth from his chest. 


	2. Chapter 2

Aurora was sitting at Diaval's bedside, holding his too-cold hand, listening to his rattling breaths, when the looking glass, at long last, lit up with gold light. A moment later, Maleficent's face appeared, larger than life. "Mother!" she cried, relieved that her mother seemed fine, but still worried for Diaval. 

"Beastie!" Maleficent's glowing smile of surprise quickly fell, brow furrowing in concern. "What's wrong?" 

"There was an attack -- ex-soldiers who were still loyal to Ingrith! They brought in reinforcements from the outskirts, claiming to wish for an audience about withering crops. Phillip and I were outside with some children, when they attacked. Diaval came swooping in, and .... oh, Mother, he's badly hurt!" Aurora sobbed. 

"I'm on my way," Maleficent promised, her image vanishing again immediately. 

//"\\\ 

Fear proved an invaluable fuel. With single-minded purpose, Maleficent, now a phoenix again, flew without stopping, eventually leaving her would-be entourage far behind. Though the journey took many hours, she would _not_ fail to reach her Diaval in time. She _would_ save him. 

Even phoenixes got tired, she discovered, but she found renewed strength when the tower that she and Diaval had shared came into view. She went straight for the balcony, transforming back into her smaller, Fey form, then rushing inside. But despite her frantic state, she stopped short when she came into the room, stunned, her breath catching in her throat. 

The looking glass had been turned away from the bed, so she hadn't been able to see Diaval when she'd gotten in touch with Aurora. She'd assumed he would be either a raven or a man -- but here he was, massive wings resting with pinions on the floor, graceful horns arching from the crown of his head ... _Fey_. 

She'd always thought him beautiful, regardless of his shape, but _now_ .... 

She shook the thought from her head, pulling herself together. She granted her daughter a quick nod (successfully ignoring the fact that the girl's belly seemed painfully large, as if she were past her due-date), then sat at Diaval's bedside, laying one hand over his, and the other on his chest, over the bandages. Gently, she reached out with the power of Creation. She could feel the nick in his heart and in an artery, feel the hole in his lung, feel him slipping away .... 

"Diaval! Diaval, I'm here!" she pleaded as she began the repairs to his body. Saving his body was pointless if his soul left .... 

He let out a small moan, his head turning slightly her way. He winced. 

She let out a laugh of relief, grateful tears raining down her face as she continued her work. "Yes, that's it! I'm here -- stay with me!" 

Being more complicated and delicate of an injury than the scratches on Aurora's face had been, it took a little while to finish the work. Diaval's pain seemed to get worse as time went on, his body jerking beneath her touch. 

"Sorry, sorry," she soothed, stopping the healing until she found the way to deaden the pain, making him sleep deeply. As his face relaxed, her fear eased. She resumed the healing with eagle-like focus, until he was completely well. Unbearably drowsy now, she lay on her side beside him, resting her head against his shoulder, her wings stretched out behind her, the feathers mingling with his like fingers clasped. 

"Thank you, Mother," Aurora whispered. Maleficent felt a blanket laid gently over her, then a kiss pressed to her brow. 

//"\\\ 

When Diaval slowly woke, it was with a sense of peace unlike that which he'd ever known before. 

And then he realised Maleficent was nestled against him, and froze, save for his heart racing. 

Was he dreaming? Was she really alive and _here, in his arms?_ How had he gotten to this point _without remembering it?_

She jerked awake, pulling back, and it was like a winter wind swept in to freeze the space in her wake. 

"What's wrong? Are you all right?" 

"I ... I-I don't know? _Am_ I? I don't remember how we _got_ here ...." Then he _did_ remember something. "I was _shot_!" He prodded the bandages on his chest. "I don't _hurt_, though," he realised, all the more confused. "And when did you get back?" he asked, sitting up. "What _happened_ to you? I've been worried sick!" He blanched. "Er, begging your pardon, Mistress." 

She smiled fondly at him, apparently being sincere -- not silly, like at the wedding. He hadn't realised she was even able to do that! "I'm sorry about that -- the mirror got broken while we were exploring a new territory, far to the northeast. Udo thought he could fix it, but after a day or so of trying, he found he couldn't after all. It was far too windy in the tundra to fly, so we had to trek on foot back to the last outpost we'd set up, to use the mirror there. Then, when I contacted your looking glass, Aurora told me you'd been badly hurt, so I hurried back. Diaval, I don't know what I would have done if you ...." She reached out and grabbed his hand tightly a moment, then loosened her grip just a little, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. 

He resisted the urge to squeeze back, afraid she would stop this rare show of affection if he drew attention to it. 

Then he thought back to a moment just before the wedding, when he'd finally seen her again, and she'd smiled and said she'd missed him -- and he'd been so shocked, he'd asked if she'd hit her head. 

But maybe she just was more affectionate than he'd given her credit for? 

He decided then to throw caution to the wind. Taking her hand in his, he lifted it, and kissed her knuckles. "I missed you," he confessed -- and the phrase conjured all the his loneliness of the past few moons, falling from his eyes like rain. 

Giving him a soft look, she reached out to cup his cheek. "Did you hit your head?" she gently teased. 

Closing his eyes and laying his hand over the one against his cheek, he leaned into her touch, savouring it -- who knew if she would ever do it again. He feared she would pull away, but she just stroked his skin with her thumb -- and then brushed a lock of hair from his eyes with her free hand. 

He looked at her, pleading. "Mistress, please don't leave me for so long agai--" 

But she pulled her hand from his cheek like it was made of iron, looking stricken. 

She wasn't going to like this, but he needed her to understand. "I know you hate this word, that you don't _believe_ in it. But if you truly do trust me all, then _believe_ that I _love_ you, Mistress, and--" 

She leapt back, off the bed. "Don't use that word anymore!" 

He shrank down into himself, feeling like he'd been shot through the chest all over again. "I'm sorry, Mistress," he whispered, eyes averted. 

"I _said_ don't _say_ that!" 

He looked up sharply, confused. "But I _didn't_ say it, Mistress!" 

"There you go _again!_" she railed, pacing the room. "Just ... _shut up, will you?_" 

With her every word, his heart broke more and more -- until suddenly, he understood. Whole-hearted and gobsmacked, his eyes flew open wide. "Oh! You _don't_ mean ... 'love'?" 

She sat back down with a sigh. "No. Well, _that's_ not exactly my favourite word _either_, but ... I think … I think I could get used to it. In certain situations. But what I _meant_ was for you to stop calling me your _mistress_ \-- I'm _not_ your mistress anymore. I release you from your vow!" 

Again with the stabbing through the chest .... "H-have I done something wrong? I-is it this body? Look, I'll change back--" 

"No!" She put her hands up, staying him. "No, I like this shape very much! ... _Very_ much." She turned away shyly, her cheeks suddenly almost as rosy as her lips. 

If there were still a wound in his chest, he was pretty sure his racing heart would have escaped through it. Was she saying .... 

"It's just that ..." she went on, "the love of a servant for a mistress isn't ... it's not ... i-it's not the kind of love I _want_ … from you." She seemed to find her fingernails very interesting. 

It occurred to him then that Maleficent rarely let her guard down -- certainly never when other people were around! Only with him, like when she'd asked him to teach him how to behave around Phillip and his family .... 

At this point, he was almost entirely certain that she was indeed saying what he _thought_ she was saying. 

Daring to hope, he sat beside her, putting his left wing around her as he reached for her right hand. "I can promise that that's _not_ the kind of love I feel for you. But ... maybe tell me what kind you _do_ want, and then I can tell you if that's the kind I _do_ have to give?" 

"A _partner_," she whispered. "That's what we've _been_, really, for a long while, isn't it?" she added, her voice small and vulnerable, in a way he'd only ever heard once before, when she'd apologised to the sleeping Aurora, with him as the only witness. "At least ... that's how _I've_ seen _you_," she went on, "probably since Aurora's coronation -- I'm sorry if I never made that clear, didn't _treat_ you like an equal. And I'm sorry I didn't release you from your vow sooner -- but if you do stay with me, I want it to be because you _want_ to, not because you feel _obligated_ to do so. If I ask you to do something, I-I want you to feel free to tell me no!" 

He managed not to laugh, or even grin, at that. He appreciated that she wanted him to have free will in theory, but in practice, Maleficent did _not_ like being told no. And really, while he wasn't always thrilled with what she asked of him, _he_ didn't like _telling_ her no -- and not just because she tended to get a liiittle cranky. "So long as you don't want me to turn into a wolf or a dog, and don't ask me to stay behind again for more than, say, a moon at a time, I think we'll be fine," he assured her, playfully bumping her shoulder. 

"Deal," she agreed. She turned sideways on the bed then, and he did the same, so they faced each other. "You know, it's customary amongst the Dark Fey to seal a contract with a kiss." She gave him a coquettish smile. 

"Is it, now?" he asked huskily, leaning forward. "Far be it from me, the newest Dark Fey, to break tradition." 

But she suddenly pulled away, hand to her chest. She seemed to be gasping. 

"Mis--Maleficent, are you all right?" 

She turned away, clearly struggling to calm herself. "I'm sorry, I -- it's just ... I thought of Stefan, and ..." Her wings shuddered. 

His stomach lurched. She'd told him all about Stefan's betrayal -- how he'd professed his love, kissed her ... and drugged her. When she'd woken the next morning, both the man and her wings were gone. She'd trusted Stefan -- no wonder she was having trouble trusting Diaval now. 

"We don't have to kiss, o-or anything like that," he assured her. This new body might feel like it was on fire and starving at the same time, and like the only thing that would ease either was her touch, but he was sure that becoming a raven again would take the edge off. 

She shook her head vigorously. "I _want_ to!" she insisted, getting a frighteningly determined look on her face, the one that experience told him meant there was no talking her out of what she intended to do. "I won't let him waste another second of my life! _I love you!_" 

Before he could even process the words, her lips were on his. He half wondered if her words had been a spell, as it felt like the gold of her magic filled every fiber of him now with a warm glow. 

As a raven, he had always wondered, but now he understood the appeal of kissing. 

And then, together, they both learned the appeal of ... _other_ things .... 

//"\\\ 

The next morning, it was hard to tell where his feathers ended, and hers began. His right wing, on which she was laying as she nestled against him, was half asleep, and he didn't care. He just lay there, enjoying the contact, marvelling at all that it meant -- the changes in _both_ of them. And enjoying the memories they'd made that night. He never would have imagined, before that fateful day over two decades gone, what he would eventually come to want out of life, that he would want more than just to be safe with a full belly -- much less that he would _get_ it. 

Maleficent slowly opened her eyes, her mouth curling up in a dangerous smile that promised they weren't leaving the bed anytime soon. 

"Good morning," he greeted. Before she woke up, he had been considering suggesting they go for a flight, but honestly, his heart was already soaring .... 

Wordlessly, she pounced, capturing his lips. 

When she finally seemed sated (for now), he asked, only half teasing, "So ... just so I'm clear ... we're mates now, yes?" 

She smirked. "I thought last night _was_ pretty clear. Still, I wouldn't mind shouting it from the ramparts in an _official_ announcement, if you like." 

He smiled fondly, knowing she wasn't kidding. As much as she kept to herself most of the time, she had a liking for making grand gestures in front of an audience -- like at Aurora's christening, and at the dinner table when they met Phillips parents. But she didn't often have a _reason_ to be theatrical -- and never one so wonderful as this! 

"Maybe we should start with Aurora, though?" he suggested -- she deserved to know before everyone else. 

She smiled so brightly, it rivaled the sun, and his heart melted in the heat of it. She sat up and grabbed his hand, yanking him out of bed, all the way to the balcony, where she perched on the railing, where she pulled him up beside her. "Race you!" And she launched herself, Diaval following just a moment behind her. 

They landed in tandem beside the royals, who were eating out in the garden, with Borra (as head of the local Dark Feys) and his family as guests. 

Borra saw them first, and grinned. "I told you you'd look good with horns, raven!" 

Aurora gasped, and quickly waddled from the table, throwing her arms around Diaval as best she could. He returned it as tightly as he dared, afraid she might pop at any moment. 

"Aurora dear, let your father breathe," Maleficent chided with a smirk. 

Aurora gasped again, pulling back to stare at Diaval with wide eyes. "Wait -- does that mean ...? I mean, really, you've _always_ been my father, haven't you? But ... are you ..." 

"Getting handfasted?" Borra finished. 

Maleficent looked surprised at this, turning her eyes to Diaval. "Oh! Well, I mean, _already_ consider Diaval my mate, but ... I suppose if the Dark Fey have a specific custom ...." 

"Far be it from me, the newest Dark Fey, to break tradition," he said with a wry smile, echoing his words from the night before. 

She grinned a grin that would send most people running, but only drew him closer. 

Aurora clapped her hands together in glee. 

"We must begin preparations at once!" John (just John now, having abdicated to Phillip) insisted.

"My mate and I would be happy to advise on our customs," Borra offered, his mate, Mira, nodding in agreement. 

"That would be most helpful, thank you," Maleficent replied sincerely. "I still have a lot to learn." 

"And I, even more," Diaval added. 

"We managed to salvage the announcement horns, if you'd like to use those to invite the people of the moors," Phillip suggested. 

"And we'll bring the mirror down next to them, so you can tell the Dark Fey at the same time," Aurora offered. "When do you want to have the handfasting? Tomorrow?" 

"It will take time for people from faraway clans to arrive," Mira pointed out. 

"And it's customary for handfastings to take place at the Feast of Beltane, a week from now -- giving them just enough time to get here," Borra weighed in. 

"Well, then. I love when a plan comes together," Maleficent smiled, then turned to Phillip. "I believe you said something about an announcement horn ...?" 

Twenty minutes later, everything was ready on the rampart. True to her word, Maleficent shouted to the world, via horn and looking glass, that she was taking Diaval as her mate, and all were invited to celebrate with them at Beltane. 

And then they went for their first real flight together, out to the mountains, accompanied by Borra's family and a few other Dark Fey. 

And Diaval finally felt like he belonged amongst them. 

//"\\\ 

In the days after, Borra and Mira instructed everyone on how a handfasting was done. John made sure the castle was ready, leaving Phillip and Aurora to continue with the day-to-day minutiae of the kingdom. The faeries and the local Dark Fey, too, made preparations. 

It all was going so well, Maleficent confided that she worried something would go wrong. 

"'Wrong' doesn't exist," Diaval assured her. "An army could come marching right up to the gates, and you'd just turn into a phoenix and send them packing. And you'd _enjoy_ it." 

She nodded thoughtfully. "This is true." 

"Even if we mess up the ceremony," he went on, "it would just mean we'd have a good laugh." 

"In fact, we might consider having a mud fight during it -- those are great fun!" she teased. 

He kissed the grin from her face. 

And then the big day arrived, everyone gathered in the garden, the altar being in the same place where it had been when Aurora and Phillip had wed. Diaval stood waiting in the spot where Phillip had stood, the Dark Fey known as Shrike waiting beside him to officiate. And then the crowd parted, Maleficent coming into view. Her gown matched his own formalwear: black brocade (hers with lace sleeves), accented with raven feathers (black, with purple and green iridescence). Fireflies blinked throughout. Her horns were wrapped in black vines with purple roses, and strands of gold. Her hair flowed free -- and defied gravity, as if she were underwater. Gold swirls of energy crackled at the hems of her gown. 

It was readily apparent how otherworldy and powerful she was, a goddess walking the earth, striking fear or awe or both -- and nothing less -- into every heart as she passed. 

His own heart felt like it was about to burst, unable to contain the love inside it. He spared a glance for the audience, humans and faer folk alike filling every available space in the massive garden, and was humbled. To think so many had come to celebrate the union of a goddess with the lowly raven she had saved from a farmer and his dogs .... Surely he wasn't worthy? 

As if reading his mind, when Shrike asked if there was any reason he and Maleficent should not be wed, a Dark Fey he didn't know stepped forward, saying, "I know of one: he's not _really_ a Fey!" 

"Why should I care about that?" Maleficent asked calmly, even as the gold magic turned a dangerous green. 

"If you're going to rule us, you should rule _us_!" the Fey countered. "Choose a consort from amongst us, to prove you have our best interests at heart!" 

"That's _exactly_ what I'm doing," she replied, sounding bemused. 

"And how do you figure that?" another Fey replied. 

"You may have noticed that our numbers dwindle. What you might _not_ realise, but which I can feel as a phoenix, is that the smaller the breeding numbers, the weaker a species becomes. What you might also not know, is that each and every one of you has wings that make you related to a kind of bird." 

The crowd began to murmur at that. 

"All the clans began as ordinary birds; the first phoenix imbued them with magic, evolving them." She pointed to someone randomly. "Those are the wings of a parrot." To another. "Those are the wings of a falcon." To the initial speaker. "Those are the wings of a sparrow. Mine, are the wings of an eagle." She smiled, sharp and deadly. "Eagles and ravens _eat_ sparrows." 

Diaval couldn't help it: he laughed at that. Maleficent joined him, and a moment later, the crowd. 

When the laughter eased, Maleficent again addressed the assembly. "Diaval has become one of us the exact same way our ancestors did -- the first of a new wave of our kind. You will treat him as one of us … or you will answer to me." The sky grew dark and menacing for as moment, green lightning flashing, and thunder rumbling. Then, it all faded, sunset returning and Maleficent's magic aura shifting back to gold. 

The Fey who'd dared to question her choice, bowed before her now, the rest of the fey following suit. 

He wanted very much to kiss her right now. 

Maleficent turned to Shrike. "You were saying?" 

Shrike told them to speak their vows, and they did. Whatever each offered, they would gladly accept, and offer every bit of their lives in return. Diaval could feel the weight of it, like a spell they'd cast together -- which he supposed it was -- their kiss sealing the bargain. The roar of the crowd was deafening; he'd swear he heard -- and felt -- the earth itself rumble in approval. 

Aurora was the first to congratulate them, hugging them both. Phillip offered his hand to each -- and Maleficent shocked them all when she hugged him instead. 

And then Aurora let out a cry, and everything stopped. 

Maleficent glowed green, ready to rip whoever had hurt her daughter to shreds. 

But then Aurora, who had been looking down at the grown, holding her belly, looked up and smiled much like Maleficent had that morning -- like the sun. "They're coming!" 

"_Who_ are coming?" Maleficent asked, puzzled. 

"Our _grandchildren_!" Diaval realised. (Later, they would learn about human births being preceded by "the water breaking".) 

Aurora nodded confirmation, beaming. 

Maleficent snatched Aurora up almost like a rabbit in a field and headed back to the castle; Diaval did the same with Phillip, following close behind her. 

//"\\\ 

The festivities lasted for days, what with the dual celebration of the marriage of the Queen of the Dark Fey, and the birth of the twins of the Queen of the Moors and the King of Ulstead. While Maleficent balked at being called a grandmother, she turned out to be a doting one all the same (now that she wasn't trying to keep up the pretense of hating humans). Diaval didn't mind; he loved the new babes just as much. (And there was always night time for the newlyweds to enjoy one another's exclusive company, which was split between the sky and the bed.) 

Three months later, at the christening, things got a little tense, as some humans, reminded of Aurora's own story, suggested that Maleficent shouldn't be at the shower. (Diaval caught Knotgrass and Thistlewit reminding people of that past event, doubtless not wanting Maleficent to show them up. He revealed to them how he and Maleficent had assured that Aurora didn't _die_ under their watch, and suggested they keep their mouths shut, unless _they_ be disallowed from the event.) 

Maleficent, round with their own growing child, shocked everyone by dressing like a benevolent earth goddess, and giving the twins the sweetest blessings imaginable. And when he had a private moment with her, she granted him an evil grin. "That'll show those little faerie twits." 

His cawing laughter filled the hall. 

Soon after, Maleficent laid their egg, and her more ... _cranky_ side showed up in full force. He didn't mind in the slightest -- he knew she was only feeling protective of their baby, and she managed to stay mostly civil to him, was even loving at times. (And of course she was only ever loving to Aurora, who was beyond excited to have a sibling on the way, and to their grandchildren.) 

Three months after the child hatched, at the christening, they named her Morrígan. The little twit faeries, acting of course as if it were their own idea, gave the exact same blessings as Maleficent had given the twins at their own christening. 

Maleficent was, to his surprise, gracious to them. And when he asked her about it later, she replied, "I haven't any right to be anything but grateful that our child received only blessings, and no curses." 

He was proud of her. 

"Well, I may not have much in the way of powers, but I bestow upon our little one this promise: so long as I live, she will always have a horse to ride." He looked up at his love. "I mean, I know she can _fly_, but I hear girls like horses." 

"They like puppies, too," Maleficent pointed out with a smirk. 

Diaval blanched at that, but after looking down at his child's sweet face, he sighed. "And a puppy to play with. Whatever you need." 

Maleficent kissed him then, and he thanked his past self for making the same promise long ago. 

~FINIS~ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've enjoyed my writing here, I invite you to explore my original fantasy storyverse, [Gaiankind](http://gaiankind.com)! You can even find Gaiankind stories for free [here](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Gaiankind) on AO3!


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